Day One of Canadian National Racquetball Championships

The top seeds have all won Monday, as Canadian National Racquetball Championships began at the Regina Court and Fitness Club in Regina. The format of the championships has doubles on Monday and Tuesday with singles beginning on Wednesday and continuing until Saturday.

Mike Green of Burlington, Ont. and Brian Istace of Calgary, the top seeds in men's doubles, took the first step to claiming their third consecutive doubles title with a win over Eric Desrochers (Ancaster, Ont.) and Jason Ully (Lethbridge, Alta.), 15-4, 15-9, in the quarter finals.

In the semis, Green and Istace will play the Landeryou brothers, James and Tim, from Saskatoon, as they beat the Ontario pairing of Corey Osborne (Penetanguishene, Ont.) and Ryan Smith (Burlington, Ont.), 18-16, 15-11.

The second seeds, and 2007 Pan American Championship doubles team of Vincent Gagnon (Longueuil, Que.) and François Viens (Montreal), also won their quarter final match. They defeated the Saskatoon team of Lee Connell and Nathaniel Husulak, 15-1, 16-14.

Third seeds, Francis Guillemette (Montreal) and Kris Odegard (Saskatoon) also won their quarter final match, defeating Patrick Charron (Longueuil, Que.) and Simon Rainville (Brossard, Que.), 15-10, 15-11.

Earlier, Connell and Husulak defeated Joshua Keil (Saskatoon) and Sebastien Boissonneault (Burnaby, B.C.), 15-8, 15-11, in the Round of 16.

In the other Round of 16 match, Desrochers and Ully defeated the Brandon, Man. team of Michael Burgess and Scott Campbell, 15-3, 17-19, 11-2.

In women's doubles, Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg and Josée Grand'Maître of Longueuil, Que. successfully took their first step towards their fifth consecutive doubles title by defeating the team of Denise Haynes of Clare, N.S. and Frédérique T. Lambert of Montreal, 15-10, 15-11.

Haynes and Lambert - playing together for the first time - defeated fellow junior players Claudia Courcy (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Christine Richardson (Regina), 15-5, 16-14, in the quarter finals.

In the other semi-final, second seeds Genevieve Brodeur (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Véronique Guillemette (Calgary) defeated the Saskatoon team of Brandi Jacobson Prentice and Alison Schlichemeyer, 15-6, 15-13.

Earlier in quarter finals, the second seeds, Brodeur and Guillemette easily defeated the local pairing of Shelley Hepworth (Regina) and Kate Ludwig (Regina), 15-7, 15-4.

And youth overcome age in the other women's quarter final, when Jacobson Prentice and Schlichemeyer, who despite being in their early 20s have played together for several years, defeated veterans Linda Ellerington (Shields, Sask.) & Shannon Mayer (Calgary), 15-9, 16-14.

Overall, one hundred and fifty one players will be competing in 25 singles and doubles divisions at the Regina Court and Fitness Club in Regina. Competition begins Monday and runs through Saturday.

Les championnats canadiens de racquetball a commencé